Weekly Topic Inspiration: Donations to Charities

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   Simone Smithposted 11 years ago

   What charities do you like? Which ones do you trust enough to support financially, and how do you evaluate their effectiveness? Share your thoughts on this subject as part of this week’s Weekly Topic Inspiration challenge.
   
   Don’t have a particular Hub in mind? Here are some search-friendly titles to consider using:
   Giving to Charity 101
   Are Charity Donations Effective?
   What to Consider Before You Donate to Charity
   Best Charities to Donate to
   Horrible Charities to Donate To
   Five Great Car Donation Charities
   Fantastic Christian Charities
   What to Look for in a Christian Charity
   The Best Charity to Donate to
   5 Trustworthy Non-Profit Organizations Worth Supporting
   The 10 Most Effective Charitable Organizations
   How to Select Which Charity Organizations to Support
   Choosing a Charity Organization to Work For
   Top Non-Profit Organizations
   Non-Profit Organizations for Children
   
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      Car CharityDonateposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I wrote about five great charities that are important to me that allow charity car donations. They are all very worthy of support, it's hard to choose just one!
      
      http://carcharitydonate.hubpages.com/hu … -Charities

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         Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Such a fabulous and nicely-formatted overview, Car CharityDonate!

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            Car CharityDonateposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you, Simone! I tried to follow the learning center tips as closely as I could.

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      safiq ali patelposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I support motability which is a charity that provides leased cars for people with disability that prevents them from being able to walk. I also support water aid which helps people in developing countries find and access regular supplies of clean water.
      Overall some charities I trust and some I don't. I have to say I have met some pretty strange efforts at raising money with some suspect charities out there. But some are suspect not all.

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         safiq ali patelposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Just Crafty you reminded me I also do take clothes to a charity called scope occasionally.

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      rothuaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Giving charity to the needy is not necessary to think that we exist as it should be. because we can not hurt to give to the poor.

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   JustCraftyposted 11 years ago

   I donate to Clothe Closet a local charity that gives free clothes and shoes to anyone who walks in and chooses them.  They accept donation but don't expect them.
   I donate hundreds of handknit, crocheted and sewn items to them each year.
   
   I also donate to the Sea Coast Mission each year where I donate handknit and crocheted hats, mittens and scarves.
   
   I don't usually donate much to the big charities because I find there are enough local ones that can use the donations whether moneary or otherwise.
   
   I have written a couple of hubs about donating to charities in the past.

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      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's splendid, JustCrafty! Wow!
      
      Have you written Hubs specifically about donating handmade goods, Clothe Closet, or Sea Coast Mission? I'd love to hear more about these things.

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         JustCraftyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, I have written about the Clothes Closet in a couple of hubs.

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   Dan Barfieldposted 11 years ago

   I just heard of an excellent charity that I think more people should get involved with - it's called Lend With Care. This charity is all about providing micro finance for people wanting to get on their own two feet and provide for their families through business in deprived parts of the world. Check it out - this is a seriously cool project. They also have a gift idea for christmas. You can buy a voucher online and give it to someone as a present. The person who has recieved this present can then go online and read profiles of people in poverty who need help and decide based upon whichever story touches them who the money goes to. The money is then paid back to the organisation by the borrower over the next 12 months. At the end of the 12 months the person you gave the gift to can either choose to redeem the voucher and cash the money out themselves, or they can choose to lend it again as many times as they want! How awesome is that! This is proper positive change! People having direct relationships with those who get the benefit of the charity - being able to see real observable change happening in the lives of those in need of a hand. The boom in micro-finance lending ha sme more excited than any other charitable organisation I've seen. I will be looking into this stuff more and plugging their good works in a hub soon. Peace.

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      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      How cool! You should totally write a Hub about Lend with Care, Dan. That sounds like such a cool charity- and such a rewarding process!

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      sallybeaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Heard about this on  the radio today.  What a wonderful way to enable people to help themselves.  A very rewarding charity way of giving.

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      Dan Barfieldposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi there - in an addendum to my earlier comment, I have just written a hub as a follow on from it should anyone be interested. Here is the link for you to peruse or not at your leisure: http://danbarfield.hubpages.com/hub/HOW … the-better

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   mary615posted 11 years ago

   There are so many charities all begging for donations especially at the end of the year.  I wrote one advising how to give to charities wisely:
   http://mary615.hubpages.com/_w866qqxq9k … -Charities

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      mary615posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Don't know if it matters, but it is "idling" away now. Just published this AM.

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         Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         The Hub is "Pending". A new Hub is put in a Pending state for 24 hours after being published before it may transition into a Featured state. Your Hub is still Pending now because you edited it 50 minutes ago, and every time you edit a new Hub, the Pending period re-sets. So just leave it be for 24 hours and it should be fine.
         
         It's a lovely Hub, too!!

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   Vickiwposted 11 years ago

   I volunteer every week for a charitable organisation, and am a director on the Board. I have done a lot of research into donations to different charities, and it seems to be a minefield. It is important to do your research into these organisations before donating, so that you can feel that your money is spent wisely

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      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What a cool organization! You should definitely write a Hub on supporting it.

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   Austinstarposted 11 years ago

   Oh, if only I could save every kitten and puppy on the planet. What a wonderful world this would be!
   http://austinstar.hubpages.com/hub/Supp … -Austin-Tx

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      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Aww! Flash is so cute! What a lovely charity!

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   Melovyposted 11 years ago

   This is a great WTI. Here's mine on Easy Ways To Donate To Charity. http://melovy.hubpages.com/hub/Easy-Way … To-Charity

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      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Such an awesome Hub. I didn't even know charity credit cards existed!

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   hockey8mnposted 11 years ago

   I wrote a hub on the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation.  Covered some of the history (i.e. how it started up and how it progressed through the years) and the ways to get involved.  It is a great organization that puts gifts under families trees that would have other wise not had them. 
   
   http://hockey8mn.hubpages.com/hub/Marin … s-For-Tots

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      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What a gorgeous Hub! I love your combination of history and tips on getting involved. Your formatting and image use is awesome. I'm glad you wrote this Hub!

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         hockey8mnposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Simone.  It is a hub worthy cause from an organization that is often misunderstood.  It is great to see the Toys for Tots Foundation grow each year.

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   carlajbehrposted 11 years ago

   This is what we did this year:
   
   http://carlajbehr.hubpages.com/hub/We-D … s-Year-Mom

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    JustCraftyposted 11 years ago

    Today was awesome!  I have been knitting, crocheting and sewing items all year and this week I donated hundreds of items to Sea Coast Mission and the Clothes Closet.
    
    The best part was today, when my daughter (adult) and I loaded her vehichle up with large boxes of hand knit hats, scarves, mittens, crocheted slippers, hats, afghans and sew pillowcases, quilts, and other sewn items and headed for the church were the Christmas Exstravaganza will be held tomorrow.
    
    We unloaded boxes after boxes of items that I had donated and then entered the church basement to find it almost completely filled with boxes and totes of all new items that had been donated and collected throughout the year for this event.
    
    There was a group of ten or so people and we all had a mission, to set this basement up like a store for people to be able to come in and shop for free for their family members in a discrete way.
    
    We all knew the goal and without any hesitation everyone pitched in and with a lot of joking and clean fun within three hours the basement looked better than any Wal-mart and the feeling was overwhelming to everyone when we found out that this store would be the host to 254 people within a two hour span of time tomorrow.
    
    My daughter and I did this event together and wow what a sense of feeling good and working together we got from this.
    
    I wouldn't have spent my Saturday any other way and neither would she, she told me that it was something that she would definitely want to do again and would never forget the feeling.

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       Car CharityDonateposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       JustCrafty, what a wonderful story! It sounds like you guys will be able to help a lot of needy families this Christmas! Way to go!

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    Simone Smithposted 11 years ago

    The Hubs, tips, and stories you have shared this week are so inspiring. Thanks for getting involved!
    
    Our latest Weekly Topic Inspiration challenge addresses goals for the new year. The new thread is up, so if you have anything to share on the subject, please do weigh in!

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    jansharesposted 11 years ago

    Hi Simone,
    I know this is late but I'm posting anyway, never got an answer to my question about cut off, here goes . . .
    http://janshares.hubpages.com/_2eao4rze … unger-fund
    Merry Christmas!

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    JustCraftyposted 11 years ago

    Needy or Greedy?
    
    I donated a lot of nice handmade items to a charity Christmas function and then talked to the organizer a week after to see how is went.
    
    She said that the 250 people who came to it claiming to be needy of Christmas gifts were choosy to what they would take and they wanted store bought items not handmade items.
    
    I think this is a case of the greedy trying to get instead of the needy and I will donate my items to a different charity next year and hope they are given to needy not choosy people for Christmas.

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